New Plant-Eating Dinosaur Species Found in Korea

Reconstruction of Doolysaurus. Credit: Yi Jun Seong / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Scientists person identified a new dinosaur species successful Korea for the archetypal clip successful 15 years, adding a notable introduction to the country’s bladed skeletal fossil record. The animal, named Doolysaurus huhmini, was a small, two-legged plant-eater that lived betwixt 113 cardinal and 94 cardinal years agone during the mediate Cretaceous period.

The fossil was unearthed successful 2023 connected Aphae Island on the southwestern seashore of the Korean Peninsula, from rocks belonging to the Ilseongsan Formation. The specimen includes skull bones, vertebrae, hind limbs and a postulation of gastroliths, which are stones animals swallow to assistance interruption down food.

It is besides the archetypal dinosaur fossil from Korea to see portions of the skull, a item researchers called particularly meaningful fixed however incomplete past finds person been. Micro-CT imaging was utilized to survey bony structures inactive embedded successful rock, allowing scientists to analyse interior anatomical features without damaging the specimen.

First skull bones ever recovered from a Korean dinosaur

Bone insubstantial investigation placed the carnal astatine astir 2 years of property astatine death. It was astir the size of a turkey, though full-grown adults apt reached doubly that size. The carnal whitethorn besides person had a fuzzy coat.

Doolysaurus huhmini belonged to the thescelosaurids, a household of bipedal neornithischian dinosaurs antecedently documented successful East Asia and North America.

A caller dinosaur has been discovered successful South Korea

'Doolysaurus huhmini' is the archetypal caller taxon to beryllium recovered successful the state successful 15 years pic.twitter.com/QUlyITMyKB

— Dexerto (@Dexerto) March 20, 2026

Dr. Jongyun Jung of the University of Texas astatine Austin and Chonnam National University said Korea’s dinosaur skeletal record has agelong been constricted successful some measurement and preservation quality. Before this discovery, lone 2 dinosaur taxon from Korea were known from partial skeletons, some dating to the Late Cretaceous: Koreaceratops hwaseongensis and Koreanosaurus boseongensis.

Professor Julia Clarke, besides of the University of Texas astatine Austin, described the young carnal arsenic apt charming successful appearance, comparing it loosely to a tiny lamb.

Gastroliths constituent to a broader dinosaur taxon diet

Jung said the squad spotted limb bones and vertebrae archetypal and had nary crushed to expect skull material oregon further bones wrong the aforesaid stone block. The magnitude of worldly yet recovered was a astonishment to the team.

The gastroliths recovered with the specimen, considered alongside their size and estimated mass, led researchers to deliberation the taxon whitethorn person followed a broader oregon adjacent omnivorous fare compared to adjacent relatives.

The squad added a enactment of caution, pointing retired that modern birds alteration wide successful however and whether they usage gastroliths, which makes dietary conclusions harder to confirm.

The findings were published successful the journal Fossil Record. The find suggests that dinosaur diverseness during the Cretaceous successful the portion was apt greater than hint fossil grounds has antecedently indicated.